Sometimes it takes the present to bump into the past to provoke a discussion about the future. The recent visit of world renown Czech climber Adam Ondra to Smith Rock brought Alan Watts, pioneer of Smith Rock and well-known author of the guidebook series on the area together in this video.

While the park experienced a huge windstorm last week, that’s not the reason for the trees you’ll find along parts of the old path of the Wolf Tree Trail. Contract work to reroute parts of the trail started in December, and the “rough in” as it is called should be done this week. Rock retaining walls and some tread work may occur this winter or as late as this fall.

Bring your own water that is, unless you care to fill up at the Bivy Campground or Day Use restrooms. Drinking fountains in the park are turned off for the season, as they needed to be drained and then shut off to prevent pipes from breaking with evening temps dropping into the teens and 20s.

Start off 2019 with a free ranger-led hike—all you pay is for your $5 parking place. Smith Rock park rangers are offering a choice of two First Day Hikes to help you learn about winter wildlife and the unique geological features of the park. The Rimrock Trail allows you to stay above the canyon along the park’s rim. The Wolf Tree Trail starts after you descend into the park and make a right across the bridge.

Wolf Tree Trail improvement work begins on Monday December 17th, with trail closures and detours that may be needed for a limited duration. The trail contractor will be using trail building machinery, and the work is expected to be completed by mid January, weather permitting.

After pouring over the proposed Smith Rock Master Plan maps and descriptions to provide feedback to Oregon Parks and Rec before the December 15 deadline, we were still a tad confused. We thought you might be too. We asked Scott Brown, Smith Rock State Park Manager to take us to some of the sites of the biggest proposed changes.

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